Physical fitness is very important in the lives of many people today and the importance of regular, consistent exercise in maintaining physical fitness is well-known. Frequently, particular exercise directed toward muscle building or toning is carried out with specialized equipment. The equipment available is extremely varied, both in complexity and expense, from relatively simple free weight devices or exercise bars, to large and complex systems which are useful for a large variety of exercises and which are typically quite expensive.
The present invention is directed toward an equipment item which is used to tone selected muscle groups without great exertion, using spring resistance. Such exercisers are generally known, as demonstrated by the following U.S. Pat. No. 1,691,092 to Titus, No. 4,059,265 to Wieder et al, No. 4,195,835 to Hinds et al, and Design Patent No. 288,108 to Hata. All of these devices disclose particular combinations of stretchable cords or springs, hand grips or bars which are attached to one end of the springs, and various arrangements of foot boards to which the other end of the springs are attached. However, these devices, as well as other similar devices, while effective to an extent, are not optimized in terms of design and/or structural arrangement so as to provide maximum benefit for a given amount of effort. Typically, this is due either to differences in the arrangement and position of the elastic spring member or members, the configuration and arrangement of the foot board, and/or the structural relationship between the foot boards, the elastic elements and the hand grips.
The present invention is an elastic exerciser which comprises a specific configuration of and arrangement of elements intended to provide better and more complete exercise results.